Bishop tries new bells for Gozo Cathedral

From his seated position under the war memorial in Savina Square, Victoria, attired in rich golden robes that were uncomfortably heavy for a hot August night, Bishop Nikol Cauchi on Saturday presided over a ceremony to mark the long-awaited arrival of the Gozo Cathedral's new bells.

The five magnificent bronze bells, costing around Lm120,000, were presented to a distinguished and mass audience in the packed square, who were treated to the dulcet tones of the Cathedral choir as dusk fell fast on the Gozitan capital.

Wrapped like gifts in blue and white festoons with their makeshift stand in the square draped in yellow and white flags, the bells stood proud throughout a two-hour ceremony during which they were blessed by the bishop.

Mgr Cauchi was also the first to ring each bell, a process which became a little more tricky as he moved to the larger bells and his mitre tumbled to the ground as he rang the largest, bringing a welcome light moment to a formal occasion. He was followed by the Cathedral's archpriest, Mgr Joe Vella-Gauci, whose initiative it was to install the new bells.

In a brief speech the bishop said that the bells did not just have a voice, they spoke a language that could be heard by the public in times of joy and sorrow. However, he said, the bells also served a liturgical role as their sound before Mass pricked the conscience of the public to go to church.

"When we hear them, we should remember that we are one family," he said.

The new bells each have a name - Maria Absvmpta, Ursula, Iosepha-Francisca, Pavla, and Aloysia - and were built by British bellfounders Taylors of Loughborough, which operates the world's largest bellfoundry. Each one is decorated with a set of ornate canons bearing six cherubs, and a garland of English roses.

The decision was taken to replace the old bells after it was deemed that four of the five existing ones could not be restored to enable them to produce a satisfactory sound. They were taken down from the Cathedral last month.

The new bells will be hoisted into their tower well after the feast of Santa Marija, after the conservation and restoration on the entire structure of the Cathedral's campanile are truly concluded.